Decisions and Deceptions
by Neferius
Summary: When you discover a purpose in life, you will need to decide how to protect it. You will have to deceive both your past and your future in order to protect what's truly important. Even if you originally intended to destroy it. Mana x Shinji x Arael
1. The Dance and The Ball

_Slightly Revised 12/02/08._

**A/N: I've got this odd goal of making a story for each girl to be paired with Shinji. The thing is that I'd hate them to be simple romance stories, so I've decided to spice most of them up with, I hope, unique ideas.**

**I've already started to release my Asuka, Mayumi, and Harem pairing stories. Rei, Hikari, Ritsuko, Mari (Touji's sister) and Kaworu (Female) stories are already in production as well as a few special pairings.**

**I'm still stuck on how to pair Shinji with Misato or Maya. I'll figure it out sooner or later.**

**This story is a Shinji x Mana pairing that is quite unique, at least I think. In fact I'm killing two birds with one stone in this story, but I'll get into that later.**

**After this chapter the angel battles will be drastically changed for obvious reasons.**

**I hope you like it.**

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**Decisions and Deceptions**

_You know, when we first thought of the idea of posing as humans we just assumed that we would learn of their strengths and weaknesses and that would be it. We never thought that we would learn of their emotions and desires too or that they could affect us as well. But then again, how could we have known? Things like that are not something our kind is naturally used to. In fact we have no real concept of them._

_That's why we initially decided to stay longer. To see what we were missing in our lives. The thought of an existence that was fulfilling through good times and bad was intriguing. The problem was that the longer we stayed the more attached we got, and the more attached we got the harder it was to admit that we would have to one day destroy all that we have come to admire. For once we started questioning if what we were doing was really the right thing. After months of questioning our own existence and our newly acquired feelings we decided that we should help the ones we've grown attached to._

_Our brethren do not yet know of our plans. Nor do we wish them to. If they were to learn of our deceit…well, we do not wish to think of the consequences at this time._

_Right now all that we want to think about is the school dance. Speaking of which, I really should get dressed soon since my date will be here in a couple hours._

_I wonder what Armisael is going to wear tonight? I hope she doesn't try to out do me again. Who would have thought that Armisael and I would be competing like this? Who would have? Whatever, this is the path we've chosen and we regret nothing._

(An exert, from the diary of Arael, the 15th messenger)

**Chapter One**

**The Dance and The Ball**

A blue sports car quickly pulled up to the residence of one Mana Kirishima. Inside of said car uncomfortably sat the pilot of Evangelion Unit 01, Shinji Ikari, as he prepared himself to pick up his date for the schools summer dance. He liked Mana a lot but could never get the nerve to ask her out, even with Asuka's help. It was only because Mana had asked him to the dance that he was even here.

"Just relax Shinji" Misato put a reassuring arm around him "She asked you out so she obviously likes you, don't worry so much" Shinji slightly calmed down but the fact that Mana may like him as well was making him really nervous. He was still getting used to the thought of being loved.

Shinji got out of the blue car with a little nudge from Misato. He straightened out his tuxedo and began walking towards the house that Mana said she lived in. The place was pretty big and considering it's location it must have cost a fortune. As he got to the front door he heard it unlock. He continued moving forward as it slowly opened to reveal a rather large man.

"You must be Shinji" The man said, "I'm Mana's father. It's nice to meet you" Mr. Kirishima stuck out his hand. Shinji was expecting to do a polite bow but considering Mr. Kirishima was a businessman he figured shaking his hand wouldn't be too bad.

Mr. Kirishima led Shinji into the house and sat him down on the couch in the living room "Mana will be down in just a moment" Mr. Kirishima told Shinji.

"Y…yes sir" Shinji stuttered. It was about this time he noticed just how big Mr. Kirishima was. He stood a good six feet tall and was built like a professional wrestler. Mr. Kirishima suddenly pulled Shinji close to himself and spoke to him so only they could hear what he had to say.

"Now you see Shinji. Mana is my little girl. She is my pride and joy, my whole world. So if you have any ideas of hugging or kissing I want you to remember this one little thing; I don't have a problem going back to prison" Shinji visibly stiffened by the big man's words while Mr. Kirishima cracked a goofy smile and thought 'My god it really does scare them'.

"Daddy what are you telling my date" Mana asked sternly as she walked into the living room.

"Just having a nice conversation that's all. Glad to see you're awake, you took quite a long cat nap" It was then that both males noticed the stunning white dress she had on.

"Wow" Shinji said out loud as he stared at his stunning auburn haired date. Mana started blushing a deep shade of red. She then grabbed Shinji's hand, making him stand up.

"You ready to go" Shinji just nodded to her "Bye daddy. Oh, I might spend the night at Mayumi's tonight okay".

"Why are you only now telling me this and how do I know your not going to just stay with _him_ all night" Mr. Kirishima pointed an accusing finger at Shinji.

"Well you don't know if I'm lying or not but I'd like to think you trust your own daughter" Mr. Kirishima looked at her then to Shinji and then back to Mana.

"Just be careful tonight okay" The big man let out a sigh and shook his head.

"I will and thanks daddy" Mr. Kirishima gave his daughter a kiss and the two teens walked outside. They heard a whistle coming from the blue Renault Alpine parked in front.

"Looking good Mana" Misato just had to go and make Mana blush even more.

As the two kids got in the car Shinji decided to speak up.

"Misato this is the first time Mana has driven with you so could you please take it easy".

"And what exactly are you implying about my driving, Mr. Ikari" Misato was a little ticked that he would accuse her of bad driving.

"I wasn't implying anything Misato I was just saying be careful" Shinji had to end this before Misato really got mad.

"If it wasn't for your cute date I'd have to kick your ass for that comment" Misato smiled, turned on her car, and then the three drove off towards the dance.

As they pulled up to the school Misato quickly shooed them out of the car "Me and Ritsuko will be having some drinks tonight so don't wait up Shinji".

"I will never fear a roller coaster after driving with her" Mana shuttered as Misato sped off into the night. The couple walked together towards the school gymnasium where the dance was taking place.

Inside the music was blaring and the lights were dim. Shinji was looking for Touji and Kensuke while Mana was looking for Mayumi, Hikari, and Asuka. Shinji found his friends in the corner of the gym while Mana found hers by the drinks.

They all met up and then got with their dates. Shinji took a look around to check everybody out. The three stooges had the usual tuxedos while the girls each had beautiful dresses on. Hikari, who was with Touji, had an elegant yet conservative yellow dress on. Mayumi, who was with Kensuke, had her glasses off and wore an average black and white dress. Finally Asuka, whose date has yet to arrive, surprisingly had a very sexy and very revealing blue dress on.

The couples started dancing while Asuka watched, sitting at a table. After a while of dancing, Shinji noticed that Asuka's date was still nowhere in sight. Mana kept catching Shinji glance at Asuka and got an idea.

"Hey Shinji, I'm going to go get a drink real quick. Why don't you ask Asuka to dance with you" before Shinji could answer her she walked away. She knew what Shinji would say but Asuka was her friend and she, along with Shinji, knew that Asuka had been stood up.

Shinji walked over to a bored looking red head. She looked up at him and for a second he could have swore he saw a tear slid down her cheek.

"What do you want Third Child" Asuka yelled out irately as she slid her hand over her face before tossing her hair back to cover the move.

"Well…I just wanted to see if…you…you know…wanted to dance with me" this was hard for him, even if it was Asuka.

"What about your girlfriend. Won't she get jealous or something" Asuka turned away.

"I don't think she'll mind one little dance…" Shinji started.

"I don't want your sympathy…just leave me alone" Asuka stood up and stormed out of the gym. Shinji was about to go after her when a hand grabbed his arm.

"Mana I need to go talk to her" Mana just gave him a peck on the cheek making him blush.

"I'll go talk to her. Besides I think your friends need a break from the dance" She pointed to Kensuke and Touji looking bored and tired sitting at a table. The auburn haired girl walked towards the exit quickly followed closely by Hikari and Mayumi.

"So how are you guys holding up" Shinji asked as he sat down next to them.

"My feet feel like their going to fall off" Touji groaned.

"We've only danced for fifteen minutes Touji" Kensuke quirked an eyebrow at the jock "You can run for twice that long".

"That is totally different" Touji argued while Shinji's phone rang.

"Hello…yes I'll be there right away" Shinji put his phone in his pocket and turned to his friends "Get to a shelter…" the warning sirens began to go off "…there's another angel".

Shinji started running towards the front of the school. As he made it to the front he saw Asuka jumping into a black Section 2 van. He dashed forward and jumped in behind her.

"Took you long enough" she snapped while he mentally groaned.

"Sorry".

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"We're sending you all the data we have on the angel. That is literally all we know at this point," Ritsuko told the pilots as they reached the surface in their Evangelions. As the three pilots began arming themselves from nearby buildings, Misato spoke up.

"So how'd the dance go" Asuka let out a growl and immediately shut off her video link. Misato looked towards Shinji, expecting an answer.

"She got stood up," he answered with a sigh.

"Ouch" the three techs all said in unison.

"I hope she doesn't do anything rash to vent her anger" Misato told Ritsuko.

"I'll monitor her for abnormalities" the doctor said and Misato nodded her head.

"What about you Shinji. How did it go" Shinji gabbed a pistol from a building then stopped. He blushed slightly causing Misato to smirk.

"It went well…while it lasted" he turned towards the angel and began to get in position.

Up on a hill just outside of the city two figures stood under a tree and were surrounded by shadows. The figure on the right spoke first.

"Leliel has finally arrived" it stated in a teenage girls voice.

"Yes" the other spoke up, also with a girls' voice.

"I really wish I could help them right now" the one on the right stated while the other thought over it for a bit.

"Me too" she agreed as she looked at the three Evangelions getting into position. Looking back at her partner, she added, "He will survive".

"I hope your right," the other said as she clasped her hands together "I just wish she could have waited to attack. I wanted to tell him how I feel about him during the dance".

"You will get your chance Arael" she put her hand on her sisters shoulder "besides, Leliel has always been a terrible fighter and in the past she had to hide in the shadows to get the upper hand. He'll win for sure".

In the distance Unit 01 shot three bullets at the zebra colored sphere floating in the sky. The sphere had disappeared and a shadow had emerged from below the purple behemoth. Shinji immediately started to fire wildly as he was sucked into the shadow. A few moments later, he was gone.

The two figures on the hill stood motionless for a little while after Unit 01 had disappeared into the shadow.

"You know what Armisael" Arael finally spoke up "I really hate you sometimes" Arael pouted as she stomped away frustrated.

"Relax, he will get out…I promise" Armisael scratched the back of her head and grinned sheepishly "I guess we should have helped after all" she let out a breath and smiled "He will get out…if only to hear your confession" Armisael took one last look at the shadow that was her sister, Leliel, and turned around to catch up with Arael.

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"Are you two set up yet?" Misato asked over the radio as she overlooked the city.

"Affirmative" Rei answered back as she gripped her controls tightly in anticipation.

"Come on already" yelled Asuka "before we lose the idiot for sure".

"Commence attack in t-minus twenty seconds" Maya reported.

'Please be alive' Asuka, Misato, and Rei all thought at the same time as Maya counted down.

"The angel is reacting to something," Maya shouted.

"But we didn't do anything yet" Ritsuko yelled as she seen the zebra colored sphere turn pitch black.

Back on the hillside the two figures were once again under a tree and watching the scene unfold.

"See" Armisael pointed, "I told you he'd be back".

"That still doesn't mean I forgive you for not letting me intervene earlier" Arael had her arms crossed and didn't even look at Armisael.

"Look we can't expose ourselves yet okay" Armisael looked back into the city to see a hand come out of black sphere floating in the air "Good bye, Leliel" a tear went down both girls' cheeks as Unit 01 broke free of their sister.

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Shinji woke up in a hospital bed and let out a sigh as he realized where he was.

"I wouldn't like the ceiling here either if I was you" that voice startled him.

"Ma-Mana" Shinji sat up in his bed immediately.

"Settle down" Mana giggled.

"S-so how long have I been out?" He asked.

"Oh…about three weeks" Mana grinned.

"WHAT" Shinji jumped out of bed while Mana laughed.

"Calm down, I was kidding" Shinji sat back on the bed with a look of embarrassment on his face "it's only been a few hours since your battle" Shinji settled down a little "So…what happened out there?" She asked him "I fell asleep since we were stuck in the shelters for so long" she explained. He sat back down on the bed and thought about it for a moment.

"I really…don't know" He closed his eyes as he spoke "I was sucked into the angel" he knew it was classified but he felt that he had to tell someone "there was nothing but whiteness all around me and I had this feeling that I was being watched somehow" he shook his head "the last thing I remember was hearing a voice that said 'We know'" Mana looked at him strangely.

"You were hearing voices?" He simply nodded his head "did you recognize who said it"?

"No" he closed his eyes again "it was definitely a female voice but it seemed…different. I can't explain it, it's one of those things you have to experience" they were both silent for a moment.

"So how do you feel?" She asked just to break the silence. Shinji just gave a small smile.

"I feel fine, just tired".

"Well then Mr. Ikari, I believe that you should get some rest" Mana got up off the bed, leaned over, and kissed Shinji on the cheek. With a small blush she left the room. As she got out the door Mana found Asuka waiting for her.

"If you hurt him, you'll regret it," Asuka said as she leaned against the wall. They may be friends but Shinji meant a lot to Asuka, though she would deny it.

"What are you jealous or something" Mana was curious.

"Hardly" Asuka almost spat out "he's more like a brother".

"Protecting your sibling then" Mana walked up next to her.

"Something like that" the two girls both stood still for a moment until Mana broke the silence.

"You can relax…I won't hurt him" Mana said softly as she left.

Asuka stayed at the door as she watched Mana walk around the corner. She's known Mana since she first arrived with Unit 02 from Germany but there was just something about her that didn't seem right. Like some kind of sixth sense was telling her to be careful around the girl.

"Why do I get the feeling that isn't true?" Asuka said aloud as she entered Shinji's room.

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**A/N: Obviously Rei and Asuka are OOC but that's just the way this story plays out. I'm definitely changing up the usual storyline and it'll show very soon.**

**I really wish I could update faster but writing is simply a hobby of mine. I'd rather read other peoples stories then write my own. So if you want me to update faster than you people just have to stop making such great stories.**

**Review if you want to but input is much appreciated.**

**Read ya Later.**


	2. Fumble, Recovery, Possession, Blitz

**A/N: Yes, I don't just create new stories, I actually write new chapters too. I had some people complain to me a while back that I wasn't a dedicated writer and never updated. You know what, they were right. I just write what I can, when I can. More often than not, it's something new.**

**Anyway, I slightly rewrote a few things in ****Chapter One**** so it may help to reread it.**

**Also, no, I don't know why I'm using goofy cryptic chapter titles; I guess I just feel like doing them. We'll see how long they last.**

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**Decisions and Deceptions**

_We knew it would be tough. We obviously never expected it to be easy but still, despite that, we hoped it would be simple to blend in amongst the lilim and remain hidden until we were called by father._

_Lilim, I really do need to stop associating that word with the humans. Arael has adapted better then I and as a result has learned to curve the urge to say lilim. It's hard to change a millennia worth of speech patterns._

_I guess I'm changing the subject so back to the topic at hand._

_We believe we were detected by the computers at Nerv shortly after Leliel was defeated by the purple Evangelion and Shinji. The lights of our souls flared at the loss of our sister. Leliel was still our beloved sister, despite the fact that she was now our enemy, and her death hit us harder than we thought it would. I guess that existing amongst the humans has increased our emotional understanding and as an affect we fall victim to those feelings._

_Worse yet, we also believe that our brethren know of our betrayal. Will they strike against us or will they continue to blindly try to find father. We do not know for sure but we will be ready should the time come to fight them. Unfortunately Bardiel, Zeruel, and Tabris are far more dangerous than the rest of our brethren or even us. Of course that won't stop us from protecting our way of life as well as the people we now see as friends._

_Unfortunately, we both sense that a major hurdle is just around the corner for us. What it is, we do not know._

(An exert, from the diary of Armisael, the 16th messenger)

**Chapter Two**

**Fumble, Recovery, Possession, Blitz**

"The AT-Fields were detected for five point eight milliseconds almost exactly after the twelfth was defeated by Unit 01" Ritsuko read the report to the commander while the man sat with his fingers laced together in his usual pose.

"Were the Magi able to pinpoint their exact location before they disappeared?" he asked despite the fact that he already knew the answer.

"Unfortunately it was too sudden after the angels defeat for the Magi to locate them exactly but it did give a general area of about five kilometers".

"Very well, how goes the transportation of Unit 03" he asked calmly.

"It will be leaving Boston in seven hours and arrive by jet fifteen hours after departure" she informed him.

"Locate the Fourth Child and make all the necessary arrangements for the new pilot's activation of Unit 03" Gendo ordered.

"Very well sir" Ritsuko said as she left the room. Once the door was shut and only one remained in the room, Gendo sat back in his chair and let out a breath he had been holding.

"First that Kirishima girl and now these unknown AT-Fields. The scenario needs to be altered again and those old men will not stay quite about it" he pinched the bridge of his nose "I need to bring the scenario back on track".

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"So are you feeling any better" Mana asked her new boyfriend, Shinji, as they walked to school with Asuka, Hikari, Mayumi, Touji, and Kensuke. Asuka and Hikari were walking behind everybody else as they talked about a few things.

"Yeah, I'm feeling much better" Shinji said, somewhat confidentially. It was no secret that the Kirishima girl was a positive influence on his self-esteem. Add in the fact that they were officially a couple and you've got one happy Eva pilot. Something the commander wasn't too happy about, but could do little to prevent without endangering the scenario by inviting unwanted eyes.

"That's nice Third Child but we have more important things to deal with other than your health" Asuka interrupted "Like how I'm going to get back at that jerk for standing me up" she growled.

"You've harassed the boy for over a two weeks now" Mana exclaimed "I think he's learned his lesson" Asuka let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Like hell he has. Nobody stands up Asuka Langley Soryu and gets away with it" everybody could have swore that they seen flames in the German girls eyes.

"I almost feel sorry for the guy" Mayumi said quietly.

"Yeah, almost" Hikari mentioned with a chuckle.

Within twenty minutes they were all sitting in class waiting for their teacher to arrive. The PA system sounded and the principle began to speak.

"Touji Suzuhara, please report to the principal's office. Suzuhara to the principal's office" everybody turned to Touji and he just raised his hands up innocently.

"Honest, I didn't do anything" Touji said as he looked at his friends.

"I wonder if it's about the…" Kensuke started but was quickly cut off as Shinji and Touji slapped their hands over the bespectacled boy's mouth.

"What was he gonna say" Asuka asked with a bit of suspicion. The boys looked at each other nervously before Touji stood up.

"Well I gotta go to the principal's office" he was quickly out the door as the girls all looked towards the last two stooges.

"Well?" Hikari demanded. Both boys knew they were doomed as the girls surrounded them, expecting an explanation.

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It was now lunchtime and Touji was standing on the top of the school looking down as everybody ate and mingled. He heard a door open behind him but didn't turn, even as footsteps stopped next to him.

"Will you tell him" a girl's voice said. He was immediately surprised by who had spoken.

"Hey Ayanami" he greeted as he watched Asuka chase after the boy who dumped her, with a steel pipe "I…I don't know if I should, I mean…he'll find out sooner or later so what's the point" Rei was silent a moment but remembered something she was told before.

"Major Katsuragi once told me that you should never leave anything unsaid. You will feel better if you let that person know the truth" the two teens stood there and thought about it before Rei continued "I…did not listen to her advice at the time and I never told Shi...I never said what I wished to" Touji was shocked. First because this was Ayanami talking to him, second because he thought she almost said Shinji, and third, because he was surprised that she already knew that his sister was just released from the hospital.

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High atop a large skyscraper two girls sat on the ledge and stared at the night sky. One of the two girls popped open a can of tomato milk. Despite the odd smell, she chugged the drink down joyfully.

"That is disgusting" Armisael commented idly as she turned her attention away from her belching sibling.

"It's called broadening your horizons, you should try it sometime" Arael said as she tossed the can off the roof and down to the streets below. Armisael's hand glowed slightly and the can flew back up to her hand.

"I think I'll stick to diet cola" Armisael murmured as she read the label and Arael let out another burp "You could at least take your time and enjoy it instead of downing it like you are completely parched. Maybe then you could act a little more lady like".

"Maybe" Arael whispered. She then stood up and stretched "Nerv is making a strange move just as Bardiel has arrived" Arael changed the subject.

"I am curious as to where he is hiding. I do not like these games of deception and manipulation".

"But isn't that exactly what we've been doing" Arael told her sister as they both hopped back over the edge and onto the building's roof top.

"Hardly, while our initial method and reasoning were far from justified, we have changed. Bardiel is and always has been cruel, he will only cause pain and suffering" she said seriously.

"No doubt about that" Arael agreed grimly 'no good can come from this' she thought to herself 'be strong Shinji, this may be out of all of our hands' both of the angels knew that tomorrow would be the day Bardiel struck. They could feel it.

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Aside from a bump on his head, courtesy of Asuka, Shinji's day had been going pretty well. Unfortunately, his day had to end with him, Rei, and Asuka sitting in their Evangelion's waiting for something to appear.

"So there was an explosion at the Matsushiro testing facility" Shinji said almost franticly "but that's where Misato was testing Unit 03, right" He asked Asuka as they prepared to sortie against an unknown object.

"That's where she said she was going" Asuka answered as lights flashed on her main screen.

"Target is approaching" Maya Ibuki announced over the com link. As the object came into view the three pilots were all shocked at what they saw.

"Th-that's an Eva" Shinji yelled out.

"Negative" Commander Ikari stated in a booming voice "That is the angel and it must be destroyed".

"But…doesn't it have a pilot inside. I can't fight another kid like me" Shinji stated in a panic.

"That is irrelevant Third Child, you will attack the enemy now" Gendo ordered.

"Come on stupid, I'm sure the pilot…" Asuka was cut off as her Eva was attacked. The scuffle didn't last long considering she was caught off guard.

"Unit 02 has deactivated" Shigeru Aoba shouted out "The pilot is unharmed" he reported back to the Commander, who didn't care enough to even acknowledge him.

"Why do you refuse to fight?" Gendo pushed further onto Shinji.

"Because, it's just not right" Shinji pouted quietly with his head down. Rei suddenly cried out in pain as Unit 03 began to infect her.

"Jettison the arm, do not allow Unit 00 be infected" Commander Ikari ordered.

"But sir, the pilot is still fully…" Makoto tried to reason but was quickly forced to acknowledge his superiors order.

"Cut It Off" he growled each syllable. Rei screamed again as a small explosion burst from her Eva's shoulder, effectively severing the limb.

"The angel is in range of Unit 01" Maya called out. The entire bridge crew looked back and forth between the two Ikari's, neither one backing down.

"Do you wish to die" Gendo asked coldly. Shinji was quick with his reply.

"No! But there has to be another wa…" choking sounds were heard over the radio as the possessed Evangelion grabbed Unit 01 by its throat. Standing on a hill not too far away, Armisael clenched her hand into a fist.

"I cannot take this anymore" the angel said as she watched the black Eva pick up the purple one and slam it into a nearby building "You said you could handle this yourself" she referred to Arael "So why are you taking so long to take action, do you wish to see your friends suffer more than they already have"?

Her question was answered as a shimmer of light began to form around the black Evangelion's body. The possessed Eva dropped Unit 01 and then clutched its head in pain. In the distance, Armisael was in shock.

"What is going on Arael?" Armisael knew something was going horribly wrong. She wanted to charge forward and help her sister but Arael had told her to stay put. Reluctantly, she stayed where she was. Back at Nerv, more alarms were going off.

"Sir, a second AT-Field is being detected around Unit 03" Maya shouted as the black Eva roared. Looking over the Magi's data, it was confirmed to be one of the AT-Fields detected after the twelfth angel's destruction. Gendo let a small smile appear on his lips as a devious plan began to form in his dangerous mind.

'Now is my chance to kill two birds with one stone and rid the scenario of one of these phantom AT-Fields' Gendo thought "Activate Unit 01's Dummy Plug" he ordered Maya.

"Sir, Doctor Akagi informed me that the system was incomplete and the Eva could be out of our control if activated".

"It's still better than the current pilot, do it" he ordered again

"Yes sir" Maya reluctantly complied as she typed away at her terminal.

Shinji sat back and watched as Unit 03 bashed its head into the ground and seemed to scream. It only got louder as a beam of white light suddenly shot out of its back and headed towards the sky "What…was that" he asked aloud as the lights in his entry plug suddenly went out and he felt himself disconnect from his Eva "What's going on" he shouted in a panic. The lights and sensors soon reactivated but with a red hue. He felt Unit 01 begin to move but realized he wasn't synced.

Unit 01 let out a mighty roar as it began to rise from the ground. Unit 03 seemed to be moving sluggishly, like it had just used up most of its energy but it too rose from the ground and let out its own roar.

The two Evas rushed towards each other and slammed into one another with arms swinging. The possessed Eva jumped away as Unit 01 tried to grab it. As soon as it was out of reach it stretched both of its arms out and grabbed Unit 01 by its legs. Not being used to this kind of combat, the dummy plugs reaction to all of this was pretty slow.

The purple behemoth was hurled into the air and landed hard onto a few small buildings. Unit 01 once again began to rise and showed that, while not perfect, the dummy plug could adapt and learn. It proved this as it grabbed Unit 03's arms as it tried the same move again. The purple Eva than pulled sharply, lifting itself onto its feet while pulling down its foe.

Running between the elongated arms, Unit 01's left shoulder pylon opened up and it pulled out its progressive knife. Unit 01 grabbed the other Eva by its neck and then activated its knife.

"No" Shinji shouted "Please stop" Unit 01 activated its vibrating weapon and shoved it into the possessed Eva's left shoulder. With a squelching pop, the limb was removed. Shinji pulled at his controls, trying to take back control of his Eva. Unfortunately, the demon that was Unit 01 didn't listen and shoved the black Eva onto the ground and stabbed its midsection with its knife, pinning the creature.

The control room was silent, except for the screams coming from Unit 01's cockpit. Nobody said a word as their greatest protector began to further dismember the angel. Maya quickly threw up into a basket she had sitting next to her desk, the amount of blood was too much for the young tech.

In one final act against its dying opponent, Unit 01 slammed it fist into Unit 03's head, crushing it, and silencing the target.

"Th…the angel has gone…silent" Makoto announced as Unit 01 let out a roar of victory.

Shinji wept in his seat. He had never done that to an angel and getting a front row seat to his berserk Eva's wrath was too much for the poor boy. He felt Unit 01 move again and seen it turn over its decapitated foe.

"What are you doing now" Shinji asked quietly with little strength as the Eva began to rip out the entry plug of the fallen Evangelion.

"Deactivate Unit 01 at once" Kouzou shouted as Gendo watched with his hands in front of his face..

"We can't sir" Shigeru yelled out "The system is frozen, we're locked out".

"Dammit Ikari, do something" Fuyutsuki yelled at his superior. He was shocked to find a sickening smile on the man's face "No, you can't be serious" he received no answer as Unit 01 raised the entry plug in its hand and examined the object.

"Stop" Shinji pleaded "it's already dead, no more" he could only watch in horror as Unit 01's fist clenched tightly around the object. It resisted for only a second before it buckled from the pressure and was crushed like a used can of cola.

* * *

As the recovery teams pried open the damaged entry plug, Shinji, still sitting in Unit 01, could only hope that whoever the pilot was, that they were still alive. Soon, dark tinted LCL was released from the opened plug as the recovery team stepped inside.

"The pilots still alive…" he heard over the radio and let out a slight sigh of relief "but her left arm has been broken, she has a massive slash along her abdomen, and is losing a lot of blood"

'The pilots a girl' Shinji thought as he could only imagine what she had gone through during this whole ordeal. He saw that they were slowly pulling the girl out on a stretcher. She was wearing a black and dark blue plug suit and she had…short…auburn hair. He recognized the unconscious and bleeding girl right away.

"M-Ma-Ma…Mana…Mana…NO!" he screamed in grief as he realized who was clinging to life because of his unwillingness to fight.

* * *

"No, no, no" Armisael cried out shaking her head "this wasn't supposed to happen" she watched as a recovery VTOL lifted off with Mana and Unit 01 began to slowly trudge back to Nerv HQ. She couldn't sense Arael anywhere and to make matters worse, she could still slightly sense Bardiel's presence.

"We were supposed to do this together" she whispered as she dropped to her knees and sobbed "You were supposed to confront Shinji about your feelings" Armisael closed her eyes and whimpered for a bit. "I-I…we.." she clenched her fists closed and looked up at the sky.

"This is your entire fault Bardiel" her eyes brimming with tears "No matter where you hide, I will find you" she cried out in anguish "You will pay".

* * *

Shinji thanked the nurse as she gave him a room number. It has been over a week since the thirteenth's attack and he was told by Misato that Mana was now allowed to have visitors. She had been under surveillance since her recovery from the destroyed entry plug. The first couple of days were to monitor for any contamination, which none was found. The days following were spent monitoring her recovery and it was two days ago that she had woken from her slight coma.

Shinji was glad to hear that she was doing better and wanted to see her but he also didn't want to be here either. He was having second thoughts at the moment. Would she forgive him for what happened to her? Mr. Kirishima had told him that while she seemed a little depressed and clearly wanted to be left alone, Mana had been very anxious to see him. That little tidbit was reassuring. Pushing his negative thoughts aside, Shinji began to think about the other two pilots affected by the last angel.

Asuka's ego had obviously taken a nasty blow because of her quick defeat. Physically she was unaffected, but mentally she was more unstable than ever. He tried helping her out but she just brushed him aside and told him nothing was wrong. That was a lie and he knew it.

Rei had also changed a bit. She seemed normal to most, well normal for her that is. But being around the azure haired teenager more often than others, Shinji picked up on the little things. The biggest change was the small look of betrayal whenever she hears somebody mention the Commander. He couldn't figure out why but thought it may have been because he blew her arm off before they cut her sync ratio with Unit 00. That would have downright made him lose his sense of friend or foe. Then again, he thought it might be something deeper.

Speaking of himself, Shinji was surprised he didn't try to stomp on his father with Unit 01's foot after he found out that Mana was the Fourth Child. He honestly didn't know what stopped him from doing it. After seeing an Eva be ripped apart right in front of his eyes as well as the fact that his girlfriend was the pilot of said bio-mech, he pretty much had a breakdown. He barely had a high enough sync ratio with Unit 01 to allow it to walk back to Nerv. After getting home Shinji had simply locked himself in his room and refused to leave it except to make dinner and use the restroom.

He stopped his musings as he found Mana's room. Straightening out his shirt and holding his breath he knocked three times on the hospital room door. A simple 'come in' was heard from inside. He opened the door to find Mana standing in front of a window, staring at the sunset.

"Hello Shinji" she said cheerfully but didn't turn from the view before her.

"Uh hi, Mana, h-how are you doing" he asked nervously as she turned around. Her left arm was in a sling and he could see the bulge in her shirt indicating the many bandages placed around her stomach.

"I've been getting better each day" Mana stated as she calmly walked towards Shinji and stood nose to nose with him. She suddenly closed the distance and pressed her lips tightly against his. Shinji stood in shock as his girlfriend kissed him with an intensity he had never felt before. However, the feeling didn't last long considering she backed away.

"What was that for" he asked with a huge blush across his face. She didn't answer for a few seconds but seemed to come up with an answer.

"I don't know" she said more to herself than Shinji.

"Huh" he was confused by the way she was acting.

"I guess I just missed you" she motioned him to the bed and they both sat down "so, how are Soryu and Ayanami doing" she asked as she leaned against the back of the bed.

"Um…they're okay" he answered as he eyed her mannerisms 'something's not right' he thought to himself, there was a knot in his stomach but he couldn't figure out why "Asuka's taking it kinda hard".

"I can understand how she feels" she replied with a small frown.

"Really" he asked with some more confusion.

"I…I guess" she answered back with a slightly dazed look "Shinji…I'm tired, I think I'll take a rest now" Mana stated as she laid down on the bed and pulled the covers over.

"Oh, okay" Shinji replied as he stood up and gave her a small kiss on her forehead. She smiled back at him as he left the room. Once the door closed her smile disappeared and she then stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Why did I say those things and act that way?" she asked herself aloud "Why does everything keep feeling…different" she let out a sigh and succumbed to her sudden sleepiness.

Just as it seemed that she was finally asleep her eyes suddenly opened. She quickly got up and walked towards the bathroom. Turning on the cold water, she gathered some in her palms and splashed it across her face. With droplets rolling down her cheeks and falling from her chin she looked up at the mirror and stared at her own eyes.

"I can't take this anymore" her voice growled out deeply. She grabbed a towel and wiped her face. "That fool Arael injured me greater than I thought" she said as she walked back into her small hospital room. She walked over to the window and placed her hand on the glass "Soon father, I will find you" she stared outside and watched as a few cars drove below "And then we can kill the other traitor, together".

* * *

**A/N: I think I'll stop it there.**

**I'm glad I finally got chapter two out of the way. I have some of chapter three written and planned out, while the rest of this story is still sorta up in the air. I don't expect it to be more than five or six chapters in length but that could change.**

**Review if you want to.**

**Read ya Later.**


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